Steamroller Animation Spice Frontier Art Blast
At its heart, Spice Frontier is a story about finding your place in the galaxy. It’s about coming together for a common purpose—and discovering hope, acceptance, and unity through shared passion. In many ways, that mirrors our own journey here at Steamroller Animation. Like the crew of the Serrano, we took a leap into the unknown, relying on each other to make it through. The only way forward was together.
Our inspirations for the show are wide-ranging: ‘80s cartoons, anime, classic 2D feature animation, and the visionary sci-fi art of the ‘70s from creators like Syd Mead and John Harris. But inspiration is the easy part. The real challenge is blending all of that into something cohesive—something that works from top to bottom. That takes a team of skilled artists across many disciplines, all pushing, inspiring, and challenging each other to go further.
Somehow, we did it. We created a 25-minute pilot (free to watch on YouTube!) using Unreal Engine—developing not just the episode, but an entire visual style and production pipeline along the way. We also simultaneously launched a Fortnite Island based in the same universe called Spice Frontier: Cosmic Rush. And we did it all without compromising our vision. That’s only possible with a team that’s as talented as it is dedicated.
I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built together. It’s beyond what I imagined—and it continues to inspire me every day. I hope, after seeing the incredible work from our team, you’ll feel that same spark too.
Adam Meyer
Co-Founder and Head of Art
Steamroller Animation
From 1980s cartoons to the metaverse: a voyage into Spice Frontier’s retro 2D look
Discover how Steamroller Animation achieved a 2D, 1980s-cartoon aesthetic in Unreal Engine for animated show Spice Frontier—and expanded the universe of the story with a Fortnite island made in UEFN.
Tad Branham – Head of Design – Steamroller Animation
Ashith Mohan – Visdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Estelle Porterat – Visdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Samantha Satode – Visdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Tad Lambert – Lead Visdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Alex Vede – Visdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Josh Carroll – Creative Director/ Modeling Supervisor – Steamroller Animation
Katie Knudson – Lead Modeler – Steamroller Animation
Chase Morello – Modeler – Steamroller Animation
Sarah Wilde – Lookdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Jeff Stern – Lookdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Carlos Villagomez – Lookdev Artist – Steamroller Animation
Christian Johnson – CG Creative Supervisor – Steamroller Animation
